RegScanner is a great portable Registry tool for Microsoft Windows devices by one of our favorite developers Nirsoft.

It is a search tool for the Windows Registry that works oh-so-much better than the rudimentary find functionality that Microsoft built-into the native Registry Editor decades ago.

RegScanner is a portable program that you run without installing it. This makes it a welcome companion for troubleshooting tool collections on USB drives.

The program displays the supported scan options in its interface on start. You may use it to scan the local PC or the Registry of a remote computer.

Registry Scan Options

Scan options are extensive; you may search values, data, or keys, filter specific base Registry keys, and define detailed matching rules.

Previous versions of RegScanner supported time-based searches already. You had to enter a start and end data and time for that though.

Nir Sofer added the "show only Registry keys modified in the last" to RegScanner 2.30. This new option makes it easier to display recent changes to Registry keys, data or values.

You do need to type a search term but RegScanner will retrieve all changes made to matching keys, data or values based on the selected time period.

The program switches to a results window once you hit the scan button. It lists results while the scan is ongoing. You can disable the "Show found items during the scan process" if you notice system slowdowns or other issues with that option enabled.

Regscanner

The results window lists name and path of each changed Registry item as well as its type, date, data length, and modification date and time.

A double-click on an entry opens it in the Windows Registry editor; a comfortable option to inspect the entry there or edit it.

The application features a new "today" button which sets the from and to date range to the current day.

RegScanner comes with the usual Nirsoft software exporting options. You may export the results as XML, CSV, HTML or text files.

The program supports the creation of "delete Registry files", another useful option.

Closing Words

RegScanner is a specialized tool for Windows administrators who work with the Registry on a regular basis and run scans for changes or specific items regularly.